help! really fell off the wagon.

kaylakaminski
kaylakaminski Posts: 34
in Food and Nutrition
hey everyone. ever since my last cheat day, i have cheated everyday to some extent. some days more than others. i find i am not even thinking about it, i'm just grabbing that handful of chocolate covered almonds or candy. or grabbing a cookie from the bakery as a treat. i have been consistent with my exercise but i am still going way over
my calories. most of the treats have been sugar based, not salty like chips. i am still eating clean for breakfast, lunch and dinner but my snacks are out of control right now.

i need to re-focus. and gain control again. anyone have any inspiration? any females specifically as i know you mostly can relate to this overwhelming sweet tooth we get.

i feel so disappointed in myself and at the same time just want to give up and stuff my face. i need to get back on the wagon :( help.

Replies

  • btoeps74
    btoeps74 Posts: 167 Member
    Do you log in your cheat meals? I find it helps to have a visual to see how bad I'm eating. I even log in any drinks I may consume on the weekend.
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
    Uhhhhhh..
    Why do you call them cheat meals?
    So you not being true to yourself and your goals..
    Is the food really worth it..whats got you holding back and giving in.
    All food is good in moderation.
    So your not modifying?
    What about reaching out to your friends and family?
    We all struggle, but maybe something is deeper seeded here.
    Why are you sabotaging yourself?
  • kaylakaminski
    kaylakaminski Posts: 34
    I try to refrain from the words cheat meals but it's in the community a lot so I repeat it. I usually eat clean everyday then have a day where I let myself go over my calories and have something I wouldn't normally like refined sugar or pizza.

    Every Thursday at my work we have an hour where we are able
    to drink and we have tons of junk food out. I inevitably pig out on this day. Even though I wouldn't have purchased any of it myself.

    But that is a good way to think of it. Why would I sabotage myself?
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
    Right, So you made a post based on one day of bad eating and your telling on yourself?
    Look, We are Human.
    You said you eat clean? Like what?
    Sometimes bring this to the attention of others is a great way to release an inner cry for help..
    You may see yourself slipping and want support..
    Its all Good.
    Btw..I think your stunning..
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Maybe you need to look at things a little differently - not see it as being "on the wagon" or "cheating". It's all just food. Your aim is not to eat too much of it, and hopefully while you're at it, get plenty of nutrients. I know it probably sounds like I'm over-simplifying it, but I think a lot of people struggle more when they look at it as two extremes: being "on the wagon", dieting, being "good", being "healthy", clean" ... or "falling off the wagon", being "naughty", eating "bad foods" etc. Try and find a bit more balance. Don't over-restrict, but don't over-indulge either. Stop beating yourself up about it, but start taking more responsibility for what you put in your mouth. Try to find a way of living that is sustainable, so that you don't want to give up, because it just feels natural and easy.

    Also are you logging everything? If so, if you look at your weekly targets rather than daily, I bet that you're not doing so badly. Some days you're a couple of hundred over, some days you're under. Unless your goal is currently set to maintenance, I bet you're still eating at a deficit. It certainly doesn't look like you're "way over".
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
    It really is simple tho like Jester said..
    Keep it simple is a common saying but not a common act
  • kaylakaminski
    kaylakaminski Posts: 34
    Maybe you need to look at things a little differently - not see it as being "on the wagon" or "cheating". It's all just food. Your aim is not to eat too much of it, and hopefully while you're at it, get plenty of nutrients. I know it probably sounds like I'm over-simplifying it, but I think a lot of people struggle more when they look at it as two extremes: being "on the wagon", dieting, being "good", being "healthy", clean" ... or "falling off the wagon", being "naughty", eating "bad foods" etc. Try and find a bit more balance. Don't over-restrict, but don't over-indulge either. Stop beating yourself up about it, but start taking more responsibility for what you put in your mouth. Try to find a way of living that is sustainable, so that you don't want to give up, because it just feels natural and easy.

    Also are you logging everything? If so, if you look at your weekly targets rather than daily, I bet that you're not doing so badly. Some days you're a couple of hundred over, some days you're under. Unless your goal is currently set to maintenance, I bet you're still eating at a deficit. It certainly doesn't look like you're "way over".

    I haven't logged today's. But thank you all for
    the kind words. It is all just food and I do need to change my
    approach to it. I probably am still in a deficit. I just know I've been overindulging, and would like
    to limit that back a tiny bit more

    Oh well. I am human :) I will never be perfect and I definitely enjoyed all my treats this past week. I can just focus on my goal and head towards it as balanced as possible.

    Thank you.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    Are you still in a deficit (between your calorie goal and your TDEE) or are you in a surplus? If you're at maintenance you could consider it a few maintenance days or a maintenance week. If you are below maintenance you should still lose weight albeit more slowly. Looking at your food diary, I can't tell if you're logging your sweets although I do see you've been tracking for 2 weeks (new to your current diet/calorie intake or just new to MFP?)

    It could be any of the following:

    You need more willpower.
    You need something better to snack on.
    Your diet is not sustainable for you (try making adjustments to make compliance better).
    You need to reframe "cheat days".
    You need to exercise more so you can "afford" to satisfy your cravings.
    Your calorie deficit is too big.
    Your estimated non-exercise daily calorie burn is too low and/or your estimated calories burned from exercise are too low.
    You are suffering from some of the symptoms of "carb withdrawal" and have compensated (your macros appear to be 40/30/30, 45% or even 55% carbs may or may not work better for you).
    You are suffering from some of the symptoms of "sugar withdrawal" and have compensated (you can either gradually reduce sugar intake or work towards keeping blood glucose levels as stable as possible or you can compensate partially with exercise and partially with willpower, reducing the amount of sweets and/or changing the sweets to something with less calories).

    A few chocolate covered almonds and the odd cookie don't sound like a big deal, especially if you are eating clean the rest of the time. There are several things you can do, but what I would suggest is (a) log everything, (b) look at those logs and see if you can work around your sweet tooth, and (c) if your goal weight doesn't also have a goal date, just keep logging and keep an eye on being at or below maintenance (it'll take longer, but you should eventually get there) and/or reduce your weekly goal weight loss.

    There is of course the option of approaching it from the completely opposite direction: when you crave sweets work on increasing lean mass (be in a slight calorie surplus most days) and when you don't work on losing body fat (be in a slight calorie deficit most days). If the majority of your meals are clean and you restrict sweets to after lifting weights (or long/intense cardio sessions that deplete your muscles of glycogen) that should also work, although you might get angry at the scales.

    ETA: I have a rule of only eating foods I know the calorie count for and I have the excuse "my calories are already allocated today" to hand, plus the occasional meal (i.e. once every month or so) where I guestimate the calories - the next one of those is Sunday dinner at the parents this weekend. My "pizza order" used to consist of a 15" pizza, a garlic pizza bread, mozzarella sticks, ice cream, cookies, and 2 litres of Coca-Cola. It now consists of a 9" pizza and sometimes a garlic pizza bread too. For me "falling off the wagon" would mean going back to my old pizza order, and I suspect for you it means "stuff my face" which it doesn't sound like has happened.
  • marissastephens13
    marissastephens13 Posts: 7
    Have you ever tried Arctic Zero? Coffee and Vanilla are my favorite flavors. Just put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and you can eat the whole pint and totally feel like you're pigging out, but it's only 150 cals! I totally feel you on the sweet tooth thing.....i am the same way!
  • kaylakaminski
    kaylakaminski Posts: 34
    Thanks again, especially to the previous poster who listed all the suggestions. Very interesting to consider all those factors that it could be. I did start a new account when I recently changed my diet approach/calorie intake so I only have two weeks to go by. I will continue to monitor my weekly totals rather than my daily. I suspect I have not entered into a surplus. I am most
    likely hitting maintenance this week or still slightly below. I will try not to beat
    myself up. I think I feel worse simply because I don't like knowing how unhealthy refined sugar is for you and that's what I have been craving lately. I guess it's more the mental aspect of not eating very clean this week but I guess it could be worse. I didn't eat take out everyday, I didn't get McDonalds everyday. I merely over indulged on sugar and desserts.

    i will try just let it go and move on. I craved something this week and I gave into it, perhaps I just needed it. I did get a promotion this week and found I was subconsciously "celebrating" and decided to have a treat. But maybe I just deserved it and it doesn't mean anything. I can just continue to plan my meals and try not to complicate things too much.
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
    I gave up alcohol for diet, (actually a long time ago in comparison to how I used to drink), but now I have one day a week that I have a drink at dinner with my husband to unwind from our week and just sit in a hot bath or hot tub, .... or bed and chat about our week. On those days, (and every other day as well), I calculate everything but I don't obsess about it. It's a given, I'm GOING to go over. Even Dr. Oz promotes a "cheat day" he calls it "Faturday." lol.
    Anyway, long story short. I have many days, (and a definite need for sugar, some days more than others), but I still log. More often than not I realize I didn't go over at all and if so, not by much. I'd have to eat "bad" all three meals and/or snack all day to really go over. To me THAT, (logging), is encouraging in itself. It keeps me from saying "oh well, what's another bad decision."
    Log, log, log. I recently had to log a 2400 cal day on a 1200 cal diet so yea, that one hurt but to my surprise the very next day I wasn't near as hungry or having the cravings and it somehow balanced out over the whole week.
    Unless you're on some crazy deadline, "cheats" will save you from throwing in the towel all together.
    Logging will get you back on track. We all live in this world that "if we don't know about it, it must not exist" or as I like to say "if you ignore your problem, they'll go away."
    ... Same concept!
  • Phoenixchichima
    Phoenixchichima Posts: 416
    I"m kinda ghaving the same thing re: off the wagon, so I'm starting a mini challenge w/friends 5/1 for a month.
    find some folks who will hang with you for a specific amount of time. come up with some ground rule s (eg, log all food. do a specific video 6x wk in addition to your other exercise, weigh & measure on day 1 & on the last day & FOCUS. come up with a prize, eg, winner gets $10.00 from everyone else. its just a tool/game to re-focus.

    crap. I just published it. now I guess I'm going to have to do good on my own challenge.
  • kaylakaminski
    kaylakaminski Posts: 34
    I gave up alcohol for diet, (actually a long time ago in comparison to how I used to drink), but now I have one day a week that I have a drink at dinner with my husband to unwind from our week and just sit in a hot bath or hot tub, .... or bed and chat about our week. On those days, (and every other day as well), I calculate everything but I don't obsess about it. It's a given, I'm GOING to go over. Even Dr. Oz promotes a "cheat day" he calls it "Faturday." lol.
    Anyway, long story short. I have many days, (and a definite need for sugar, some days more than others), but I still log. More often than not I realize I didn't go over at all and if so, not by much. I'd have to eat "bad" all three meals and/or snack all day to really go over. To me THAT, (logging), is encouraging in itself. It keeps me from saying "oh well, what's another bad decision."
    Log, log, log. I recently had to log a 2400 cal day on a 1200 cal diet so yea, that one hurt but to my surprise the very next day I wasn't near as hungry or having the cravings and it somehow balanced out over the whole week.
    Unless you're on some crazy deadline, "cheats" will save you from throwing in the towel all together.
    Logging will get you back on track. We all live in this world that "if we don't know about it, it must not exist" or as I like to say "if you ignore your problem, they'll go away."
    ... Same concept!

    Thanks for the tip! Will definitely log all my "cheats". I will then be more inclined to turn things down if I don't know the calorie count in them, I imagine.
  • michelejoann
    michelejoann Posts: 295 Member
    i know it's been said, but the key is log everything and not feel bad. it's not like you went on a solid month long binge.
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    You've gotten some great advice in this thread. I particularly liked ChasinPavemnt, JesterMFP, and watfordjc’s posts.

    I feel like I would be repeating what others have said if I voice my thoughts on the subject. However, I just wanted to give maybe a better snack alternative for chocolate/sweets. I find that fudge bars really do the trick for me (they usually work for chocolate, sweets, and ice cream cravings). I get store brand (Wegmans) low fat ones. They are only 100 calories and they are awesome!

    Hang in there and don’t be too hard on yourself. I must say, you are gorgeous! :)

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